Butte semi-weekly miner. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1886-1890, 1887-04-20
THAT NINE.
Statement Of Mr.. Morrison IS to His
Side Of the Case.

Yesterday was not q warm day by any
means. On the contrary, it tended toward
GOODNESS very decidedly. But there was
one man in town who was warm. and that
was the man who owns hall the Cleopa-
ira mine that was the subject of such q
serious charge in the columns OF the Inter
Mountain. The MINER q across Mr..
Morrison, the gentleman in question, as he
was in animated converse with the super
intendent Of one of the mines Immediately
north of town, who thought the charge OF
sailing a quartz mine something pretty
hard to do. Sailing q placer mine was
plain sailing, but it would be very difficult
to salt q quartz mine SO as to de.
ceive an expert. Mr.. Morrison but
ton-holed the reporter aud poured a
tale Of woe into his ears which
reads about as follows: u. 8. Roberts
and David N. Upton came up to me last
week and negotiated with me for a bond
and lease of the Cleopatra mine. l and
Chris. Stocker are the owners. We each
own hall. One week ago to-day they went
out and investigated the mine, and when
they returned they wanted to know what
we would give them a bond and lease on
the property for. Thirty-ive thousand
dollars was the figure asked and we told
them that by paying down a bonus OF
forty days. Meantime Mr.. Venable came
to me, and saying he was Roberts and Up
toms hackers, wanted us to deal
offered me a S $4,000 bonus if I
would deal with him. 1 said the others
had the option and if they would not come
to their agreement by Wednesday I would
accept his proposition and give him per-
mission to extract from five to fifty tons
of ore. He had gone out. as I afterwards
learned, to the mine last Friday and made
a sample of the mine himself unknown to
me and was satisfied with the result then.
Beck Hamilton and Jim Talbot are Rob-
erts and Upton's hackers and they went
out on Thursday and took out ore show
ing SO ounces silver and z ounces gold.
tract with me and are going out in the
morning with five men to begin work on
the mine.
"As to the statement about the MINI
having been sailed on Max Mayer, of the
Montana Copper Company, that is a false
hood. Mr.. Mueller, who was Super
inter dent of the Montana Cop
per Company's works, is ready
at any time, and has offered to buy my
half interest for $4,000, and he has ex-
amined the property and is satisfied of it's
value. Mr.. Venable simply cannot get
hold OF the property, and has been insti-
gated to this course by another person
whom I know. After coming to me last
Friday with the assurance that the prop.
erty was satisfactory to him he turned
round and on Wednesday night told me he
had gone out and found ore only making
81 a ton. I am ready to prove by the
most responsible men in town what 1 say.
The statement in the Inter Mountain don't
affect my contract with Roberts and Up
ton, and my friends advised me to take
no notice OF it. I have lived here ten years
and everyone knows 1 never did a dishon-
est thing to a living soul. 1 am a poor
man, it is true, but l pay my
debts, and the charge involves me
an owner OF the mine. It is mere malice
the part of a man who has been my
partners vindictive enemy for years and
swore that he would cripple my partner
every chance he got, and this is part OF his
This and much more Mr.. Morrison said
in vindication of himself, and, without at
all entering into the controversy, The
MINER would merely add that Mr.. Nor
rison seemed honestly indignant at the re-
cast on him by inference.